VANCOUVER – "Just make plays." That's the mantra UBC head coach
Blake Nill wants his team to have Saturday afternoon when they host the Alberta Golden Bears for the 86
th Hardy Cup at Thunderbird Stadium.
Advancing to a second straight Canada West championship game by way of a 29-21 comeback win over Manitoba in last week's semifinal, the T-Birds host their first Hardy Cup since 1997 while facing Alberta for conference supremacy for the first time since 1987.
"They're a very impressive football program, an old school football program, physical, with a north-south run attack, I think they do a great job making it easy on their quarterback to distribute the ball," said Nill of the Bears who are appearing in their first Hardy Cup since 2010. "(Alberta head coach Chris Morris) has his kids playing the best football U of A has probably seen in 10 or 15 years. We're preparing fully for a program coming in that's tough, very athletic and extremely well coached."
The Bears booked their ticket to Vancouver after securing a 40-17 win at home over the two-time defending Hardy Cup champion Saskatchewan Huskies.
Both teams enter the big game with a 7-2 record on the season, Alberta's only two losses both coming courtesy of the T-Birds. UBC put up a convincing 54-37 win over the Bears in week four's homecoming game at Thunderbird Stadium and clinched first in the conference with a 23-10 week eight win in Edmonton.
"I'm not a big believer in history," Nill insisted, putting no stock in his team's regular season series sweep of the Bears. "Ultimately it's going to be the same two teams who go onto the field. Both teams are capable of winning this football game. Something's going to happen during the game, whether it's a turnover, a missed assignment, something's going to happen that will help determine the outcome."
It's fitting the 86
th version of the Hardy Cup sees the top two regular season teams in the conference battle head-to-head for a third time in 2023. UBC finished the regular season first in conference yards per game, points, and touchdowns with Alberta second in the first two categories and just behind the Huskies scoring the third most majors.
Ultimately, on paper, it's a close comparison between the two teams who combined for 20 total Canada West All-Stars in 2023, 14 of them from UBC alone.
One of those 14 is UBC quarterback
Garrett Rooker who led the Canada West in yards (2266), touchdowns (16), and completion percentage (70.2%). Alberta starter Eli Hetlinger finished third in each category but is coming off an impressive semifinal which saw him throw for 279 yards and four touchdowns.
Perhaps most notably, the Hardy Cup features the top two Canada West running backs. Alberta's Matthew Peterson led the way with 1128 yards with
Isaiah Knight earning his third Canada West All-Star nod with a career-high 787 yards in seven games. Knight had the edge in scoring, however, with five rushing touchdowns along with a receiving major, and he added another on the ground in last week's semifinal win, along with another 80 yards.
While Saturday is Alberta's first Hardy Cup appearance since 2010, it's been 42 years since the Golden Bears managed to hoist the trophy. That 1981 title game saw the Bears earn an 11-8 win over the T-Birds. Their next Hardy Cup meeting – and most recent – in 1987 saw UBC flip the script by way of a 26-8 T-Birds win, their 12
th conference title.
UBC has a total of 15 Hardy Cup titles to their credit, the last coming back in 2015 when the blue and gold went on to win their last Vanier Cup.
As for Nill, Saturday is his 12
th Hardy Cup appearance and fifth with UBC having won seven of those previous 11.
"You have to go out and take it," the veteran head coach said of the mindset required to win the championship game. "You can't hope the other team gives it away. In this case, both teams are coming in 7-2. The one advantage we have is we're at home. But Alberta is not going to give away this game, they're going to give their best effort and that's the same approach we have to take."
Kickoff for the 86
th Hardy Cup is set for 1:00 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium.
Tickets are available now and the game will be available live on
Canada West TV and SaskTel, where available.
